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Conscious Birth Package

At Willowsong, we hold close to our hearts, one inherent truth: that physiological birth—birth as it was meant to be, as it was designed—is protective for mother and child.

It is through our care that women reconnect with this ageless wisdom, making a conscious choice to bring their children into the world a different way. Come and experience birth with us; birth without violence, where attachment and connection are honored above all, where women and families are empowered to heal and where birth is transformative—for women, their families and ultimately the greater community.

“Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers ~ strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength. ” ~Barbara Katz Rothman

You Grow Girl! Care

Upon entry to care, the woman begins a journey of letting go of all fears & cultural perceptions of birth. She has to work hard to relearn how to trust birth and her body’s wisdom and guidance.

We offer different conscious birth packages to meet the desires and needs of our clients. For those living in the Des Moines metropolitan suburban area and desiring a home birth, we will bring our team and equipment to your home. Some may not be ready for the home experience or live too far for our team to travel, so we are able to offer ‘our home’ to them with our birth center package. Healing Passages Birth & Wellness Center is located in the heart of Sherman Hill and brings women closer to the major hospitals. Our hospital package is for those who would like the Willowsong Model of Care, but would prefer to be in a hospital setting.

The Conscious Birth Packages all include:

Consultation with our Client Care Coordinator who gives each woman a packet to begin her care, orients her to our Village and all its offerings and connects her to our on-line communities.

1/2 hr private prenatal visits with the midwives themselves where plenty of guidance & assessment is given. These sessions meet every 4-6 weeks until 7 months, then every 2-3 weeks until term, then weekly until birth.

Prenatal Group Offerings every two weeks on selected topics. These replace the private one-on-ones with the midwives. This is the beginning of building your village. Women come together to mingle, share & learn from each other. Each session is two hours; one hour mingling, eating and drinking tea while the midwives see each woman privately for a few minutes & then the group is called together. Topics are reflective of Willowsong’s philosophy and approach to care and geared towards birth in the out-of-hospital setting: Home birth 101, Physiological Birth, Complications I & II, MamaMoon Care and BabyMoon Care.

Conscious Birth Care

“The Time is Now! To awaken to full human potential and dream our children into a new dawn of justice, happiness and peace.”—Birthing the Future

It begins with the sacred journey of birth. It is time for women to reclaim this experience. It is time for attendants at birth—midwives, physicians, nurses, & doulas—to learn physiological birth as it was meant to be; to learn how to hold the space for women without fear, without anxiety, without ego. It is an art to be non-interventive, to allow the process to unfold in its own way, on its own time. Willowsong Midwives are community experts in this process; in holding the space, while you do the work of two of life’s most magnificent transitions—the birth of a child, the birth of a mother—honoring all that nature designed to keep mother and baby safe.

Conscious Birth Care is a part of our comprehensive maternity package and includes:

Midwifery management of birth at Home, in the Birth Center or at Broadlawns Medical Center

Waterbirth (Waterbirth tubs available for rent through TubWorks) **We are not currently doing waterbirth in the hospital

Early labor support via phone and texting

Once active labor begins, the Willowsong team arrives at your home or the hospital or if planning a birth center birth, the woman arrives at our Birth Suite

Birth is always attended by two licensed providers (CNM/RN), experts in the physiological birth process.

The team stays for 2-3 hours after a home birth, assessing the new mother and baby unit

Families planning to be at the birth center stay for 4 hours and are then discharged home

Women planning hospital birth stay for a minimum of 24 hours

If hospital transfer is needed, your Willowsong Team goes with you, with records, to turn care over to a consulting physician. If it is a non-emergent transfer, your team may be able to continue managing your birth.

We hold the space, while you do the work of two of life’s most magnificent transitions—the birth of a child, the birth of a mother—honoring all that nature designed to keep mother and baby safe.

MamaMoon Care (post birth 0-4 months)

To our community, Mama Moon time is when the mother hibernates after her birth with baby and family. It is her time to be nurtured and held, cared for and watched over. Our team comes to you! It is important to us that the new mother not leave her house for a few weeks. We are here to help you with any struggle you might be having; with your body, your new baby, or your new family unit.

The MamaMoon package includes:

A 24 hr visit, a breastfeeding visit on day two, a visit between 3-5 days, a visit between 2-3 weeks and a group visit at 6 weeks. These visits occur in your home or back at our clinic and are an opportunity for the midwives and the nurses to follow our new mamas and their babes! At each visit, a full assessment is done on the mother and her baby and plenty of breastfeeding guidance is given to support the new mother in her journey.

A two day breastfeeding visit by one of our MotherBaby Nurse’s who are trained biological breastfeeding experts

The State Birth Certificate is filled out and filed by the client within two months of the birth

6-8 week GROUP visit back at the office—women join each other as we drink tea and share our joys and struggles of the transition since birth. (Topics discussed include: our bodies, breastfeeding, our relationships, birth control, sexuality, mothering, exercise, support, community, and more!

Women are encouraged to return for a well-woman exam and consultation with their midwife at 4 months post birth. (Not included in the package)

All women are encouraged to keep in touch with the midwives and theVillage post birth. No where in the Des Moines area will you find such a rich community of support like Willowsong’s! We invite each client to return for a 4 month visit back at the office for a private annual, well-woman exam with one of our midwives. The midwives get to see the growing babies, help each woman with her physical needs and screen for depression and depletion; while the woman gets to process her birth and her experience of being a mother.

Bundled Baby Care (birth to six weeks)This care begins the moment of birth. Inseparable from our Mama Moon Care, Bundled Baby Care is given to all our post partum mamas!

This care begins the moment of birth. Inseparable from our Mama Moon Care, Bundled Baby Care is given to all our post partum mamas!

“In every action we take with your newborn, we respect the baby’s right to be attached, connected to your skin and receive respectful, soulful care; all while supporting the biological need to breastfeed at every turn”—Willowsong Team

We do what we do as much for the baby as for the woman. Our whole team sees the natural birth process as protective for the newborn. To help facilitate a baby’s gentle birth, with undisturbed attachment to the mother, is one of our greatest joys. First, there is the transition phase where both mother and baby are stabilizing; then you have the taking-in phase, where for the next good hour to hour & ½ you are resting and breastfeeding, untouched, but closely monitored. You will never forget this time with your new bundle!

We take care of your newborn baby from the moment of birth up to 6 weeks, honoring and supporting the newborn’s inherent need to be connected and attached to the primal family

Full newborn exam within the first hours of birth. We offer all newborn medications, lab tests including the Newborn Metabolic Screen, checks for jaundice as indicated & Critical Cardiac Heart Defect Screening

Newborn onesie, knitted hat and birth certificate with footprints are gifted to each family

On-going weekly, physical assessments/evaluations of growth & development as indicated ensuring that the breastfeeding relationship is thriving!

Join us for our 6-week Post Birth Group with all the new mamas! Babies are weighed in and measured and given a full assessment. Topics of discussion include breastfeeding, baby cares, sleep, nighttime parenting, cloth diapering, & baby wearing and much more!

Our MISSION is to help women…

DISCOVER the inherent protective power of birth to transform by holding the space for women to experience birth as nature intended it to be

My husband Mark and I transferred to Willowsong when I was approximately 30 weeks pregnant. Next time we want to begin the journey with Cosette and her team! Healing Passages is wise, experienced, tender and passionate about bringing babies into the world… Read more »